What Matters the Most
by St. Harridan
Summary: Yachiru doesn't know what's going on between her Ken-chan and Ukki, but it doesn't matter as long as they're happy. Yachiru-centric; Kenpachi/Jushiro.


Yachiru tilts her head to the side as she watches the two men in the doorway.

"Goin' already?" Ken-chan's voice is low, quiet, as if he doesn't want anyone else to hear what he's saying. As if he's hiding a secret. She doesn't hear him speak like this often, only when he has to soothe her into sleeping. "Can't ye stay a lil' longer? Or we can go out for dinner or somethin'?" He doesn't ask people to stay over at the division. In fact, he's only ever asked Ichi just because he wants Ichi to put up a good fight with Ikkaku and the rest. And he doesn't offer to take people out for dinner, not even when it's someone's birthday or other special occasions. He doesn't care about trivialities like that.

"I'll come back later," says Ukki, and that confuses Yachiru. He's known to be asleep in his Ugendo while everyone is still up and having dinner. If he comes back later, it will be way past his bedtime, and his Third Seats would come looking for him. And Ken-chan hates his Third Seats simply because they are just annoying pain in the butts.

"Ye sure?" Ken-chan scoffs, folding his arms across his chest. Yachiru can't see his face from behind here, but she just knows that he's a little annoyed by the tone of his voice. "Don't ye leave me hangin' like what ye did the last time. Asshole, ye made me stay up till midnight and I had to read 'Chiru her goddamn bedtime stories."

"But I know you like doing that." There's a hint of amusement in Ukki's voice as he places a hand on Ken-chan's cheek. Ken-chan doesn't allow anyone else to touch him like that, or even get close to him save for in battles. Yachiru can slap him over his head, pull his hair, tug at the hems of his uniform, burrow herself into her favourite spot in the back of his haori. He never gets angry. Maybe a little irritated, but that's just about it. He humours her all the same. That's how Yachiru knows that he cares about her, even if he tends to yell at her for being such a brat.

"Shut up." Ken-chan turns away, but only halfheartedly. Yachiru knows that he likes to tell her bedtime stories. He can't lie to anyone. His loud, out-of-topic complains make it all the more obvious.

"Good night, Zaraki." Ukki leans down and gives Ken-can a peck on his collarbone, and Ken-chan visibly freezes to the spot. That's odd, Yachiru muses. He doesn't get so uptight often, and even less because of a gesture such as that. But then again, she doesn't get the chance to watch this sort of exchange between Ken-chan and Ukki on a daily basis, so she figures that she must be missing a lot.

Ken-chan grunts, his hand snaking around Ukki's waist while Ukki's hands fist the front of his shihakusho to pull him closer, and then he kisses Ken-chan. A lot of times Yumichika has told her to look away whenever that happens, but Yachiru doesn't care. She keeps on staring, nonchalant as if it's yet another dead hollow in the street. But that's a little different, because she feels a light fluttering in the deepest corners of her heart instead of bloodlust, and when Ken-chan pulls away with a rough scoff, pushing Ukki back, she tilts her head to the side even more.

"Get yer ass movin'. Sooner ye leave, the sooner ye come back."

Ukki only smiles up at him, his gaze fond and affectionate. "If I'm not held up by Kiyone and Sentaro, I should be here within the hour."

"They make me wait, I'mma kick their asses all the way to the First. Let yer old teacher deal with 'em." Ken-chan grins when Ukki laughs, the same sort of sentiments present in his being as he runs his fingers absently through Ukki's long, white hair. "Go on, get goin'. I'll be here."

Ukki gives Ken-chan a quick kiss and leaves. Yachiru scampers back up to her room as Ken-chan closes the door and curls up on her bed. She doesn't make a sound and pretends to be asleep when Ken-chan comes in and settles on the edge of her bed. He pats her head gently, careful not to wake her, and then gets up and leaves, closing the door quietly behind his heels. When his footsteps have faded down the corridor, Yachiru goes to her bookshelf and picks out her favourite bedtime story. She sits on the bed and reads to herself, imagining brave heroes and beautiful heroines.

Yachiru doesn't know what's going on between Ken-chan and Ukki, but she doesn't want to disturb them. She smiles to herself as the image of her grinning Ken-chan flashes through her mind. It's not the sort of grin that he sports every time he enters battle, not the one he exhibits whenever he beats the crap out of some unfortunate hollow. It's the sort that she sees when they're alone, when he's just hugging her to his chest, sharing body heat. A little like that, but not so either. There's just a slight difference, but Yachiru doesn't care to look much into it.

Ken-chan's happy, and that's all that matters.


End file.
